Now that you are fluent in lighting language we can talk about pricing. {Disclaimer: these are the average lighting costs that we’ve seen from Dallas vendors. Cost does change frequently and varies upon location.}

Gobo: $300.00

Break up pattern: $375.00

Pin spots: $40.00 per pin spot

Up lights: $40.00 per up light

Color Wash: between $275-$350 depending on the size of the area

Most lighting companies require a minimum dollar amount to be spent on lighting to create your “package”.  Also, set up and delivery charges vary, but are usually 10-15% of the lighting bill.  (So if you are spending $1000 on lighting choices, then you will see an additional $100-150 added for set up and delivery.  Always talk to your lighting professional to see what options they offer and you can creatively use lighitng to add that dramatic element without a dramatic bill, if you have less of a buget to work with. Maybe use pinspotting only for your sweetheart and cake tables, while using uplighting to add color.  Or just a gobo without a color wash or break up pattern behind iton the dance floor?  Maybe just add up lights to architectural details of your reception venue.  There are so many options you can choose from when it comes to lighting.

When choosing your lighting vendor, you want to look for a lighting professional, not someone who has lots of twinkling Christmas lights that can hang them nicely. You want a vendor with nice equipment. It doesn’t need to be the newest top of the line equipment; it just needs to look professional and work well.  This can mean the lovely LED lighting that allows you to change colors at your whim, or the less modern “can” lighting that uses gels to tint the color.  Also don’t forget to look for a love match; you need to be comfortable trusting them and paying them.

If lighting is something you decide you want, make it work for you and your budget!

Happy Planning!

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Think lighting your reception means flipping a light switch? Think again. Lighting can be a fabulous way to kick your wedding up a notch, to make it a simply stunning event.

When talking to different lighting companies or lighting designers it can seem like they are speaking a different language. But don’t worry we’ve got you covered, just gather round for today’s Vocab Lesson!

Pin spots: a focused beam of light shining directly onto an object, like a centerpiece or the cake, used as a highlighting effect

Gobo: a projection of a wedding motif, like the wedding date, a monogram or a symbol

Up lights: projects light up to give the wall a dramatic effect or to highlight an area

Color Wash: basically a technique that “washes” an entire area a different color

Break up pattern: a projection of a pattern or an all over design, can be projected under the Gobo or over a color washed wall or over a blank wall, etc

Well now that you’ve learned the language of lighting, let’s chat about what lighting can do for your wedding.

Lighting is a great way change the look or feeling in the room. If you are doing your ceremony and reception in the same room, try color washing the room in a warm, soft amber color and then have the lighting switch to a dramatic color like purple. It can completely change the ambiance and your guests won’t even realize it’s the same room. Color washing the walls can also help set the tone for your guests, for example having a softer color during dinner and pumping up the vibrancy when it’s time to party.

If you don’t want to color wash, think about using up lights between windows or over pillars. You can have a break up pattern by the dance floor and have your monogram or another symbolic symbol as your gobo over the break up pattern. You love your centerpieces, pin spot them so they are more of a focal point. In love with your cake, then pin spot it!

Using lighting is a great way to add a little more drama {the good kind of drama} to your event.

Now that we’ve talked about light terms and what you can do with them, next I’ll post about pricing and different options that you can choose from!

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I received a beautiful flower arrangement for the holidays.  It was made up of only two stems, one stem of Amaryllis and another stem of red berries.  The simplicity just makes it stunning, and it started me thinking how this bold flower could be used for weddings, but I don’t think many realize it’s flexibility.

The Amaryllis flower is actually available year round.  It comes in pale yellow, orange, salmon, red, deep red, pink, magenta and many combinations of these colors, such as pink and white.  The stem is leafless and tall, producing a cluster at the very top of these funnel shaped flowers, anywhere from 2 to 12 on one stem!  While the Amaryllis is listed as an expensive flower by the Bride & Bloom magazine, I think it is worth it considering how many flowers you get.  The stems usually run about $8-10 each. 

These flowers would be great in almost any capacity, such as part of the bride’s bouquet, or using the stems in a tall wedding reception centerpiece.  Due to the size, I would not recommend them for any personal flowers (such as a corsage) or even part of a bridesmaid bouquet as it would overpower any other flowers included.

Can you think of any flowers typically used for this holiday season that could be used for a wedding at another time of the year?

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When I first started wedding planning nothing could send me into a cold sweat like a floral appointment. Linens, cakes, venues- I could handle that, but I always felt like the last kid picked for the kickball team when talking to florists. Don’t get me wrong, I love flowers, I just wish I knew more than roses and Gerber daisies. Anyone with me?

{Anyone…anyone…Bueller….Bueller?}

Well after awhile I started to recognize more and more flowers. One common {and I might add beautiful}  wedding flower is hydrangea. 

Hydrangea are most often used as a filler flower in wedding bouquets and wedding centerpieces because although stem for stem theyare more expensive than roses, you get one huge bloom per one stem of hydrangea, which can be three times the size of a single rose. Of course, they do look stunning just by themselves.

They are also a flower that can fit into a lot of styles. They can perfectly achieve a romanctic look, a whimsical feel, or even used in a modern or contemporary design.

But hydrangea can be a tricky flower. They are “thirsty” flowers so when it’s hot outside they can wilt pretty fast if they aren’t given enough water before hand. If you have hydrangeas in your wedding bouquets, make sure to rest the stems in water when you can just to insure that they last and remain beautiful all night long.

My favorite part of hydrangeas is that they come in so many different colors; they range from white to dark purple. They can also be dyed or painted if you want them to be!           

And best of all for you lucky Dallas Brides hydrangeas are a local wedding flower available all year long down here! 

So during your next floral meeting, maybe ask about adding a hydrangea or two?  You may love the results, and if not, then at least you know about another flower for future use right?

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No matter what the budget, I’m always asking my brides to look at linen samples. Tablecloths are one of the easiest and most effective ways to change the look of a room, carry a color theme and to even stretch those budget dollars. When you have a fabulous tablecloth, you can get away with less dramatic centerpieces and you can get colors that you simply can’t get in flowers! Plus, linen samples are the perfect way to choose that perfect shade of your favorite color and then use it to show all your vendors exactly what you are talking about.

One of my fave vendors for custom linen rentals is Jules Event Décor. I recently asked Jules to give me some tips and here’s what she said:

1. The wedding linens you choose for your wedding will set your theme, whether it is elegant, romantic, or contemporary. You want wedding linens that will make an impression the moment your guests enter and gaze across the room.  (For an example, check out these before and after photos.)

2. A bride can certainly rent specialty linens to add to the design and layout of her wedding reception without exceeding her budget. Specialty linens made from fabrics such as pin tuck, crinkled taffeta, crushed shimmers may be used on the sweetheart table, bridal party table, cake table(s), or guest book table.

3. Linen made of a solid-color, lamour fabric may be used on all the guest tables as it is more reasonably priced. [Poly-cottons are the staple linens offered by rental companies and venues. Lamour fabric is a “step up” and has a wonderful sheen to it.]  This is also a great choice for napkin and chair sash rentals.

4. If your “linen” rental budget is limited, you can still make an impression by using the table linens your venue provides, yet renting napkins or sashes in your color theme while complimenting your venue’s decor. The size, style, and quantity of your linen needs will determine your linen budget.

As Jules says, “your goal as a ‘savvy’ bride is to find the best wedding linen rental price without compromising the quality of the linen.” You can check out Jules Event Décor at www.juleseventdecor.com.

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I know, it may have seemed like we dropped from the face of the earth. Let’s just say Each & Every Detail has been undergoing some fabulous changes and with all of our wonderful brides to attend to, we got caught up in the craziness of life and forgot to keep you posted! I hope you’ll forgive us! We have very exciting news on the horizon, so please keep checking back as we’ll have some announcements here shortly.

In the meantime, here’s a fun little statistic for you. According to The Wedding Report (a wonderful site for wedding statistics), spending for the bridal bouquet has decreased from $154 in 2008 to $136 for the second quarter of 2009.

This could mean many things. Do you think florists are lowering their prices because of the economy? Or are brides buying less expensive bouquets? Or are flowers in general less expensive right now? Please share your thoughts as I’d love to know what you think it means!

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Enjoy!!!

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I was working with one of my brides today and she said something that I thought was so perceptive.  “What woman doesn’t love flowers and books?”  Now, it was probably one of those you had to be there moments, but I loved it!  I adore Barnes & Noble and would probably spend my entire life’s earnings there if I didn’t have to eat.  What made me think this appropriate to blog about was that one my most recent acquisitions from this grand place is a book…. on flowers!  I thought I’d share for all as it is a wonderful resource, not only on different types of flowers used for weddings, but it gives great ideas based on colors, theme or by budget!  It’s called “The Knot Book of Wedding Flowers” and of course I’ve linked that to B&N.  It was written by Carley Roney, the editor of The Knot.  I have found it to be a great tool for working with my clients in describing flowers and familiarizing them with what they like/don’t like.  It’s definitely a must have on the bookshelf!

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One of my fave brides told me about this website.  (Thank you Jennifer!)  Check out FiftyFlowers.com for bulk purchase of fresh rose petals.  I really mean bulk ladies!  You can get 6,000 petals for only $139.99, which is a great price, as any florist can probably tell you.  Of course, you can use them for all sorts of decorating, like the aisle of your wedding, on tables, floors, window ledges, tossing for your exit, and I bet you’ll even have some left to decorate your hotel room! 

 PS.  Ladies, when you visit sites like these, compare prices!  I highly recommend the petals here because the ones Jennifer ordered were wonderful and at a great price.  I checked other prices on this site and know you can get some items for much cheaper and at a great quality at your local wholesaler.  Just another tip!

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Your florist is one of the most crucial vendors you choose, yet I feel most brides pick their florist without looking at qualifications, references or even portfolios.  Florists are key to framing the look and style of your wedding, so please be careful!  Most brides choose their florist by word of mouth references, which is a great tool, but is not the only criteria one should look at.  Here are a few items that are important to myself when evaluating a florist:

Experience - How long has the florist been doing this and how much of their business comes from weddings?  Many florists offer wedding services, but this may not be their main interest or priority.  You want a florist to WANT to make your wedding special.

Creativity – When you look at their portfolio, do you see the same thing over and over?  Is it simply a book from 1800Flowers? Or is it pictures from the weddings they’ve done?  Are there fun, creative and unique ideas or is it only traditional items?  If you want something different and unique, you want a florist who has done something different in the past.  This shouldn’t be their first attempt at something new.

Proposal – Your florist should have a written proposal to explain their offer.  The proposal should include specific flowers to be used, possibly a sketch of the most important items, and specific pricing and payment terms.  This is for both you and your florist to know what the expectations are and is your main communication tool. 

Curiousity – Your florist should be curious!  They should ask questions such as:  What does your dress look like?  Where are you getting married and what is it like?  What’s your favorite flower?  What flowers do you not like?  If they aren’t asking you questions, they are not going to put together something that is meaningful to you and it may not even fit the surroundings.

Florists are wonderfully creative people and I think you’ll find most fit these criteria.  Word of mouth is still the best way to find your florist, but these tools will help you to narrow down your choices. 

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